Every Kelly Clarkson Song, Ranked From Worst To Best

There's no question that our iPods would suck without you, lil' Miss Independent. I listened to and read the lyrics of every original song to appear on an official CD (including hidden and bonus tracks) in reverse order to determine Kellegendary's biggest audio achievement.

I grouped these three tracks together for three reasons: They play in succession, were all co-written by Kara DioGuardi, and share an uncomfortably gloomy outlook on love. "Hate Myself" actually borders on lyrical cutting. Usually Kelly's able to find a silver lining amid the gray skies, but not here.

67."Hole"

I absolutely adore this oft-criticized album (which will become very apparent as this list continues), but it's hard to get behind this pitch black composition. I mean, there’s depressing songs and then there’s "Hole," which, at times, almost reads like a suicide note.

50.Walk Away

Brilliant beat, excellent energy, and gets the ole head bobbing straight outta the gate. But, if you look at the lyrics, it's pretty confusing to deduce who is doing the walking, and who they're walking away from...

46."Don't Rush"

Along with "Don’t You Wanna Stay" (which couldn't be included as it first appeared on Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party), "Don't Rush" proves Kelly can successfully straddle both the country and pop worlds. Although I personally prefer her contributions to the latter.

44."You Can't Win"

This musical reply to every critic who told Kelly she was "too this" or "not enough that" is an excellent idea with stellar composition. But it's lacking some sort of mental or emotional resolution in the final verse. As is, we're left feeling like the title is the unavoidable conclusion. Although maybe that's the point...

25."My Life Would Suck Without You"

At its core, this endlessly infectious song is about two extremely messed up people realizing no one else could possibly love them better and accepting their effed up destiny. But I recommend you just shut off your brain, press play, and JUMP!

21."Because of You"

Instead of simply singing about her messed up relationships, Kelly takes this opportunity to look at why she has so much trouble with men, and the result is a powerfully poignant examination of the role our parents play in shaping our emotional expectations.

16."Dark Side"

Kelly's music is always at its most inspiring when espousing this kind of advice. Her gorgeous pipes instruct fans the world over to recognize that their flaws are what make them special, and somewhere out there is a man/woman who will love them for them, not in spite of them.

15."Never Again"

Kelly turns her tears to daggers for this killer kiss-off that perfectly pairs her raging vocals with an appropriately angry arrangement. If any contemporary track deserved to be mentioned in the same breath as Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know," it's this one.

14."A Moment Like This"

Kelly's official American Idol victory song was simple, elegant, and universally applicable; all of which has contributed to its enduring appeal. The song will forever be associated with the overwhelming moment above, which still brings tears to my eyes.

8."Winter Dreams (Brandon's Song)"

Fans were rightly worried that love would dull Kelly’s edge. But the first song expressly written as a love letter to a man proved our fears unfounded as the track evokes so much genuine emotion, it makes you long to fall in love.

7."Irvine"

The first time I learned Kelly co-wrote a ballad to God, I cringed. There were just so many ways that could go wrong. But the unfiltered gorgeousness of this haunting track absolutely blew me away. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more lyrically raw or relatable song in her entire arsenal.

5."Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)"

As she matured, Kelly confidently embraced songs that told her massive fan base, "You know what, it's OK to be single. Learn from that experience and blossom into a more wonderful version of yourself." This is the pinnacle of that perspective, and the crowdsourced music video is the perfect companion.

4."Underneath the Tree"

In short, a new holiday classic. Of the four original songs on Wrapped in Red, all of which are splendid, by the way, this is the one that will undoubtedly join Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You" in heavy radio rotation the instant Thanksgiving ends. And that's a reality worth passing up a second serving of stuffing to expedite.

3."Already Gone"

The most purely beautiful ballad Kelly's ever released is made exponentially more exciting because it's not a subject matter she's sung about 1 million times before. The relaxed composition allows us to crawl around the nooks and crannies of her voice, giving each one of her perfect pipes a moment to shine.

2."Since U Been Gone"

That now-iconic guitar riff sets the stage for Kelly's most infectious anthem ever, but what truly makes this Grammy winning track (for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance) soar is the inspired juxtaposition of the low-energy verses and the sky-high choruses.

1."Sober"

"Picked all my weeds but kept the flowers." Those eight words inspired Kelly to write my absolute favorite favorite song of hers. Framed around expunging the bad influences (aka "weeds") from one's life, the arrangement is aggressively simple, allowing the lyrics and Kelly's voice to take center stage. It slowly builds to the most marvelous crescendo in the final chorus that gives me chills every single time.

Since You've Been Gone: Crushed by the enormity of ranking more than 70 Kelly Clarkson songs, two were mistakenly omitted. They've been added in to the list at number 64 and 9.